General Assembly
of the United Nations
President of the 68th Session

Newsroom

Statement on Security Council Elections for Non-Permanent Members

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson

United Nations, New York, 17 October 2013

The President of the General Assembly, H.E. John W. Ashe, warmly congratulated the delegations of Chad, Chile, Lithuania, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia on the election of their respective countries, by the General Assembly, as Non-permanent Members to the United Nations Security Council. The five countries, each of which was endorsed by its respective Regional Group, were elected on a clean slate for the first time in several years. As Non-Permanent Members, the newly-elected countries will serve on the Council for a two-year period, beginning 1 January, 2014.

Elections for non-permanent membership on the Security Council are conducted through a secret ballot, with the requirement that, in order to be successful, a candidate must garner the support of at least two-thirds of all General Assembly Member States present and voting at the time of the balloting. The five countries elected today will replace Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan, and Togo, whose terms will expire on 31 December, 2013.

Of the 15 countries that comprise the Security Council, five are Permanent Members – China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America – while the remaining 10 are Non-permanent Members elected for fixed two-year terms. The Council’s overall remit and focus is the maintenance of international peace and security, as outlined in the Charter of the United Nations.